Northern recognised by British Transport Police for work to protect vulnerable people on the railway

Northern, which runs rail services through Ilkeston Railway Station, has been recognised by British Transport Police for its work to protect vulnerable people travelling on its network.

In a review of the train operator as part of its ‘Safeguarding on Rail Scheme’ accreditation, the force praised the ‘significant amount of work put in to protect and safeguard vulnerable people travelling on your network’.

The report went on to say that ‘it was evident both through interviews and with evidence provided that the Northern Railway Senior Team are dedicated to Safeguarding and have a real desire to continue to build on their foundation and making safeguarding business as usual’.

The Safeguarding on Rail scheme (SRS) was developed by the Department for Transport and British Transport Police in response to the increasing number of vulnerable people using the rail network. For more information, visit this link.

Matt Rice, chief operating officer at Northern, said: “I’m really proud that the efforts of my team have been recognised by British Transport Police. Safeguarding vulnerable people on the railway is everyone’s responsibility and I’ll bet each and every one of my traincrew and station colleagues could give you an example of a situation that could have ended very different if someone hadn’t intervened.

“To achieve full accreditation in the Safeguarding on Rail Scheme is a testament to our staff and a good opportunity to remind everyone to look out for one another.”

There is a conductor on-board each and every one of Northern’s services and customers can always ask them for help and advice or to report suspicious behaviour. Alternatively, they can contact British Transport Police via text on 61016.

In September, Northern revealed that its employees were being given special training to help vulnerable people using the railway.

It followed a number of incidents in 2024 when Northern employees came to the aid of customers with potentially life-saving interventions.

In July, a conductor made sure a passenger got swift medical treatment when her condition deteriorated on-board a Northern service. In August, a conductor helped a 13-year-old boy in distress while working a service, and in September, two employees were praised for finding a missing eight-year-old girl.